Winter Warmer Beer

The Perfect Beers For A Cold Night By The Fire

Welcome to This Month in Beer, an ongoing series of articles where I discuss some of the more interesting releases in the world of beer. Dozens of beers are released every month, and my goal is to pick out a small sample of exceptional beers to share with you.

December is my favorite month for beer. I’m a fan of big, malty beers and this month, practically every brewer brings out a special holiday release, commonly in a style called a Winter Warmer. While three of the four beers I’m sharing with you today can be described as Winter Warmers, you’ll see they’re all considerably different in character. One thing in common among these special December beers is that they are all created as the perfect accompaniment for a roaring fire on a cold winter night.

First up is a classic Winter Warmer, the Winter Welcome from Samuel Smith, a famed British brewery founded in 1758 in Tadcaster, Yorkshire. Winter Welcome is like an old friend that comes to visit every year; its appearance signals the arrival of winter for beer drinkers everywhere. It pours a deep, clear golden-amber; dominant on the nose is a gentle tart apple character, underpinned by toffee. The first taste is crisp and clean with just a hint of earthy bitterness that quickly transitions into a combination of biscuity malt, caramel and tart apple. The finish is surprisingly subtle — with some cinnamon, ginger and more caramel making an appearance. This beer is a light as it looks, and has just enough gentle carbonation to tantalize your palate. Of the various beers we’re trying, the Winter Welcome is the most subtle, but it's also a classic that's definitely worthy of a try.

Next up is one of our two American beers, the Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Ore. Some call this a Winter Warmer, while Deschutes calls it a Strong Ale; I think a case could be made for either category. The Jubelale pours a deep, clear, brown-garnet and its nose reveals winter roots with some spicy malt, ripe berries and grassy hop notes. Keeping those hops in mind, this beer is far from subtle at first taste; it features a bracing, earthy hop bitterness balanced by a robust spicy maltiness. The hops hit many different notes, with the earthiness common to noble hops and some pine and citrus notes from favorites like Cascade. If you’re familiar with the aggressive hoppiness of West Coast beers, the Jubelale falls close to a West Coast IPA, but then turns the paradigm on its head with big, spicy maltiness. It’s not as loaded with winter spices as some of the other beers on this list, but it’s certainly something very different than your usual hoppy beer. If you’ve got a hophead on your shopping list, the Jubelale would make the perfect holiday gift.